Tag Archives: bus

The Rapid moves to being greener while expanding its route

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism,

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

The Rapid is going green with EPA-certified renewable natural gas from the City of Grand Rapids’ biodigester. (Supplied)

The Rapid is moving to become more green with renewable natural gas (RNG) while expanding its routes to aid in employment opportunities.

In April, The Rapid announced it has begun receiving EPA-certified renewable natural gas from the City of Grand Rapids’ biodigester, which is a major milestone in a multi-year effort to create a partnership that upholds a shared commitment to sustainability.

“The partnership speaks to innovative ways that local governments can work with regional partners and support their sustainability goals while also reinforcing the City’s commitment to building a safe and healthy community,” said James Hurt, Grand Rapids’ managing director of Public Services.

The Rapid has been working to transition its bus fleet away from diesel fuel to lower-emission potions since 2017, and the new partnership will create a renewable fuel source captures methane from the decomposition process, converting it into usable vehicle fuel and redirecting the waste away from local landfills.

 

“We’re fueling a cleaner fleet and significantly reducing our carbon footprint,” said Deb Prato, CEO of The Rapid. “This innovative partnership represents the creativity and collaboration that is necessary to develop strategies across multiple sectors to create better outcomes for the climate and the community.”

RNG fuel is considered carbon-negative, producing the lowest carbon intensity of any on-road vehicle fuel. The Rapid will be able to utilize this fuel immediately in the fleet without the need for massive infrastructure changes or investments.

The Rapid’s fleet currently consists of 133 buses, 102 of which will have the capacity to run fully on RNG. Diesel buses will continue to be retired and replaced by RNG vehicles, in a continued effort to reach zero emissions by 2023.

Starting this week, The Rapid announced its Route 8 Prairie/Rivertown will now have two weekday trips serving Michigan Turkey Producers.

 

“Our diverse workforce represents a large community of people in West Michigan with a wide range of transportation needs,” said MaryAnne McCaffrey, Vice President of Human Resources at Michigan Turkey Producers. “A stop at our location will ensure a safe and reliable commute for our employees.”

 

Route 8 will have two weekday trips, the first trip departing from Rapid Central Station at 6:45 a.m. and the second trip departing from Michigan Turkey at 4:58 p.m. The 6:45 a.m. trip will follow its regular route to Rivertown, continuing to Michigan Turkey Producers on Chicago Drive. The 4:58 p.m. trip will take a left on Burlingame and travel directly to Michigan Turkey Producers, before returning to Godfrey and then to Rapid Central Station. All previous stops along Route 8 will continue to be served.

“We are dedicated to improving the lives of our community across the six cities by offering reliable transportation options that improve access to employment opportunities and effectively remove barriers,” said Deb Prato, CEO of The Rapid. 

Bus service now available to Detroit

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Travel, West Michigan, , ,

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
WKTV Managing Editor
joanne@wktv.org

FlixBus will be operating a new route from Grand Rapids to Detroit and back. (Courtesy, FlixBus)

Starting this week, bus service that goes beyond the Kent County area will now be available in Grand Rapids.

FlixBus announced this week that it is bringing long distance busing back to the Grand Rapids area by starting a route that will travel to and from the Detroit area with a stop in East Lansing.

Having been present in the North American market since 2018, Munich-based Flix SE acquired Greyhound Lines In. in 2021. Recently Flix North America Inc., the Dallas-based entity overseeing operations for both Greyhound and FlixBus across North America, announced a co-integration of both brand’s booking platforms. This will allow passengers to purchase both Greyhound and FlixBus tickets on each brands’ websites to more than 2,300 destinations across the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Currently only FlixBus will be serving the Grand Rapids area, said FlixBus Public Relations Manager Sean Hanft.

“If passengers make the trip to Detroit for example, they can transfer to Greyhound buses throughout the U.S., transfer to FlixBus’ domestic network in Canada and more,” Hanft said. “So it s a great expansion in local service for Grand Rapids’ travelers, as well as giving them access to connections in metropolitan areas like Detroit to more destinations across North America.”

The new route, which officially starts on Thursday, March 16, will have four stops. Two are in Grand Rapids: Grand Rapids (East) is the Cascade Meijer, 5531 28th St. Ct. SE, and Grand Rapids (Downtown) is at the downtown Burger King, 410 Pearl St. NW, near the downtown YMCA. The East Lansing stop is at 3121 E. Saginaw St, near the Frandor Shopping Center. The Detroit stop is at Grand Circus Park, 501 Park Ave.

The line will run five days a week, excluding Tuesdays and Wednesdays. It departs daily at 10:15 a.m. from Detroit, arriving at 1 p.m. in Grand Rapids. It leaves from Grand Rapids at 3:20 p.m. and arrives in Detroit at 6:30 p.m.

“Whenever FlixBus enters a new market, college students are typically among our biggest fans who need affordable, convenient transportation for holidays, weekend trips and more, that is a major factor that we take into account with every expansion,” Hanft said, adding that FlixBus is a compelling option for college students throughout the region looking for sustainable, budget-friendly travel options.

 

Tickets for Detroit to Grand Rapids trips start at $37.99 and Grand Rapids to East Lansing start at $25.99.

Just like other transportation options such as airlines and trains, FlixBus passengers have the option to pick a seat or select to not have a neighboring passenger for an additional fee. Passengers are allowed one carry-on and one stowaway luggage item with additional luggage being added for a small fee.

As FlixBus builds its Michigan network, it hopes to add new connections to other destinations such as Chicago, Hanft said.

For more about the new FlixBus line and tickets, visit FlixBus.com or the FlixBus app, and follow along on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. 

The Rapid makes improvements to Silverline

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Kent County, , ,

By WKTV Journal Staff
joanne@wktv.org

The Silverline will now include on-board payments. (WKTV)

The Rapid is reintroducing the Silver Line to new and returning customers with on-board fare payments to prepare for contactless payments coming in 2023. The change improves customer experience, avoids expensive equipment replacements, and aligns with how people pay fares on other buses in the system.

As the original ticket vending machines reach their end of life, The Rapid is preparing for convenient payment options onboard the Silver Line buses rather than replacing the expensive equipment. Transactions for fare will look just like the rest of The Rapid’s routes other than the Laker Line. These changes include installing Wave card readers and cash fareboxes onboard. These changes will prepare The Rapid for the contactless fare payment options, including Apple Pay and Google Pay coming in Spring 2023.

“We’re continually reviewing our system and our performance and taking the steps we need to, focusing on how The Rapid can improve mobility and access for all,” said Deb Prato, chief executive officer for The Rapid. “We look at how can we make it easier for our customers to get from point A to point B, how to choose the best route or combination of transportation options, and how to pay for their fares in the most convenient way possible.”

The Rapid launched the Silver Line, Michigan’s first Bus Rapid Transit service in 2014. The Silver Line provided an express route for customers in the Division Avenue corridor and was equipped with the best technology available at the time.

The Silver Line blurs the lines between buses and trains by offering customers more amenities than a typical bus service. Customers have access to the park and ride options and convenient fare vending. The Silver Line stations offer sheltered, accessible platform boarding and real-time arrival information. Traffic signal prioritization, hybrid diesel-electric buses, and high-frequency service are also features of this bus rapid transit service.

Customers will use the same payment methods on Silver Line buses as the rest of the fixed-route bus system. Adult customers pay $1.75 per ride with exact cash or can receive the best value by purchasing a $47 monthly Wave card, The Rapid’s smart transit pass, that launched in 2018 to make fare payments easier. With the Wave card, receive the highest value for the amount with fare-capping and free transfers within one hour and 45 minutes. Specialty Wave cards, like youth and reduced fare, require picture identification and can be purchased at The Rapid’s Information Center within Central Station. Adult Wave cards can be purchased online at wave.ridetherapid.org.  

The Rapid to begin summer service schedule May 10

Citizen Journalism,
The Rapid announces its summer schedule, providing more early and evening services. (Supplied)

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

Beginning Monday, May 10, The Rapid will implement an enhanced summer service schedule, providing increased access to public transit options across the entire service area.

The Rapid constantly monitors the public transit service it provides, working to adjust operations to offer the most reliable, efficient and effective service possible. Adjustments will be made to bus schedules to provide more service to the six-city area and to improve overall system performance.

Routes in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas that will be impacted are 1 – Division Route, Route 8 – Grandville/Rivertown, and Route 10 – Clyde Park. These routes will have both earlier and later times added to the schedules. Also, Route 2 – Kalamazoo and Route 16 – Wyoming/Metro will see an early start time added to the weekdays.

The main changes are as follows:

Seventeen routes will begin service earlier on weekdays


The following routes will begin service at 5:15 a.m. on weekdays:


▪  Route 1 – Division, Route 2 – Kalamazoo, Route 4 – Eastern, Route 5 – Wealthy, Route 6 – Eastown, Route 8 – Grandville/Rivertown, Route 9 – Alpine, Route 10 – Clyde Park, Route 11 – Plainfield, Route 12 – West Fulton, Route 15 – East Leonard*

 *These routes previously started service at 5:45 a.m.

The following routes will begin service at 5:30 a.m. on weekdays:

▪ Route 7 – West Leonard, Route 16 – Wyoming/Metro Health*

*These routes previously started service at 6:00 a.m.


The following routes will begin service at 5:45 a.m. on weekdays: 

  • Route 3 – Madison, Route 13 – Michigan/Fuller, Route 14 – East Fulton, Route 18 – Westside*

    *These routes previously started service at 6:15 a.m.

Fourteen routes will run later on weekdays.

The following routes will add a 10:15 p.m. departure from Rapid Central Station:

▪  Route 1 – Division, Route 2 – Kalamazoo, Route 3 – Madison, Route 4 – Eastern,
Route 5 – Wealthy, Route 6 – Eastown, Route 8 – Grandville/Rivertown, Route 9 – Alpine, Route 10 – Clyde Park, Route 11 – Plainfield, Route 12 – West Fulton, Route 13 – Michigan/Fuller, Route 14 – East Fulton, Route 15 – East Leonard*

The last departure for these routes from Rapid Central Station was previously 9:45 p.m.

  • Service on Route 4 – Eastern south of 28th St. will improve from every 30 minutes to every 15 minutes on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.


  • DASH service will now operate on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.


  • DASH service will no longer operate on Saturdays


These service enhancements will expand transit options for Rapid riders as the region continues pandemic recovery efforts.

 

“We’re excited to be able to expand current service and increase options for our customers,” said Deb Prato, CEO of The Rapid. “Transit has such a critical role to play in pandemic recovery, and we will continue to provide our community with an accessible, reliable network of mobility options.”